507/Spoiling for the Fight

Spoiling for the Fight
Date of Scene:	14 March 2020
Location:	Historic Clocktower Upstairs
Synopsis:	Babs invites Stephanie for a serious talk in the Clocktower. She does the batman routine. Then when Stephanie passes the test she offers to equip and teach her.
Cast of Characters:	Barbara Gordon, Stephanie Brown

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Barbara Gordon has posed:
Of course Barbara, or ORACLE in this case, has been keeping an eye on Stephanie for the last year or so. The computer array has been providing Barbara with updates. Part of her is really wondering what Bruce is waiting for. It is obvious that Stephanie isn't about to give up on this front.

Babs types on her keyboard, and initiates a complicated WayneTech trick, a new app on Stephanie's phone, just a Green Oracle Symbool as the only clue and then a notification badge on it like there is one message or update.

When opened it seems to be a chat application with one message. <'Spoiler. Please come see me in the Clocktower. You've been coded to the system it should let you up. Penthouse.'>

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie's phone is exceedingly easy to break into. It isn't that she's not got it up to date on security features. She does. But the phone itself is a Wayne Tech model which is itself four versions behind the current one. Any difficult it might have given Barbara would probably have been for not being used to having to get into that version of phone anymore. Not like that would stop her.

The message was a surprise to Stephanie, no doubt. And one of a little bit of worry. She had no doubt that Batman knew she was going against his wishes. The only thing that has surprised her is that the other shoe on this subject had not dropped before now.

It took a little bit of building up the courage to go to the Clocktower, but she had. Driving up and parking two blocks away on her old Honda motorcycle, then changing into her Spoiler gear and heading over to the building. Spoiler slips over to the entrance, removing a glove to put her thumb on a scanner and let it scan her eye, left exposed by the mask she's wearing, for entry.

Spoiler moves on up the stairs, trying to calm the anxious butterflies in her stomach. Why did it have to be Barbara of everyone. She'd thought it would come from Bruce himself. Barbara was such an idol to Stephanie, the thought of being told to stop by Batgirl was crushing.

But Stephanie was determined not to be crushed as she moves up and knocks, then passes through inside.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara watched the progress and al of the courage building up through one of her new O.R.A.C.L.E. drones. High altitude, black, and oh so silent in the Gotham skyline. Also the GPS of the compromised phone.

Honestly she is glad Steph used one of the entrances attention won't be drawn to just like she was told to in the past. Watching her come up the stairs.

Babs swivels the high end computer chair around so she has a view of the door that Spoiler will be coming in through, not bothering with the Batgirl costume for this meeting in her nest as it were. "I see you are still wearing the same Spoiler gear that he told you to hang up Stephanie." thoughtful tone, words hitting right after she closes the ddoor. Purposefully setting the tone a bit ominious.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Spoiler comes through the door, closing it behind her and walking over nearer to Barbara. "Mostly the same. Added a little more padding. And I ran out of batarangs... it was a long time ago. Hard to craft something aerodynamic like them," the blond says. If Barbara has been keeping an eye on Spoiler, her equipment has definitely gone downhill. Not that she had many gadgets from Batman even early on, but those few gifted from Tim ran out long ago. Hardware store projects and home made items, even smoke bombs from roadside fireworks stands, are what Spoiler has gotten by on for probably eight months at least. Against some of Gotham's worst.

Spoiler hesitates about whether to just stay in costume, but after a moment she undoes the strip covering her lower face, and puts her hood down. She's grown in that year. Still in high school, but on her way towards graduation. Not the best GPA, but enough to get into a community college. Maybe even Gotham U if she can impress with non-scholastic activities.

Stephanie crosses her arms. "I've done a lot of good," she says, tone a little defensive.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Gotham U would definitely be easier with someone who can pull some strings, that much is certain.

Barbara looks her over though studying the gear closer now, HD Video is one thing but having line of sight directly is another. "Can I see some of the gear you hacked together?" which is an odd request really.

Then she looks up to make eye contact. "Maybe you've done good. You've also disobeyed him and kept on fighting crime at the edges of his city Stephanie."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie Brown walks over nearer to Barbara. She pulls a few things out of her belt. Rope and a home made grapple. The rope has knots to help her climb. She has to do it with arms and legs, no winches to pull her up rapidly. The grapple looks well-designed for sturdy holds, but also where it can be freed well sending a ripple up the rope.

The smoke bombs are passable. Literally kids fireworks, so it takes a bunch of them taped together, the fuses combined and shortened. A weapon, segments of metal bar with chain between them, that can be joined back into a staff shape. Some good solid plastic ties for handcuffs. Large, home made caltrops that would stop a vehicle.

Stephanie sets the various things out on the table by Barbara. "Can't get time in the metal working shop at school by myself very easily," she says, eying the caltrops, some of her better work, with obvious pride.

Stephanie crosses her arms again. "Look, I know I'm not... as good as any of you. But there's people who need me out there. You guys can't be everywhere at once. I've taken down a lot of bad guys and put some drug dealers out of business, ones who were going after kids. I'm not going to stop. You can tell Batman that. I'm committed to this."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara looks over the gear there and takes the items if she is allowed to laying them out on a clear work table as she slinks up to her feet. Turning each over in her hands studying them and the ingenuity of managing to get it all together in effectively black ops shop class sessions.

Honestly the determination and persistence is both admirable and impressive but she doesn't it show yet.

She looks over though when Stehanie gets defensive and says that Barbara can go off and tell Batman that she won't be stopping. Okay that is a bit amusing too but she keeps her expression very schooled.

"So two questions. One have you been working on your hand to hand.. any martial arts classes or just trying to go about it by hitting drug dealers and hoping you get better?" she knows the answer but she wants to see what Stephanie is going to say.

"Second. If I tell you that you have to stop. That this is too dangerous and your going to run afoul of Batman on this one. You're saying your answer is no?" the tone she inflects there is disappointment and a touch of disbelief. Baiting.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie watches as Barbara looks over the equipment, but her ability to read others is nowhere near those who have had Bruce's training in it. So it's lost on Stephanie if Barbara finds anything admirable about the equipment. For Stephanie, even if she has pride in it - and she really does! - she still knows how woeful it is compared to the items that those in Bruce's entourage have to work with.

"Well," Stephanie says of the combat training. "Tim has shown me a few things. Though I didn't want him to run afoul of... didn't want him in trouble. So that's been limited. I did a community center course, all they had was Tai Chi. It only helped a little. It was less about stopping Mafiosi with guns and more about breathing and physical fitness."

Stephanie swallows. Hearing what Stephanie thinks she's hearing from Barbara is indeed so much tougher than it would have been from Bruce. She knows Barbara had to prove herself and go it alone. If she doesn't think Stephanie has what it takes, maybe she doesn't?

The thought lingers for a few seconds only before it's forced out of her head. It could clatter as it hits the floor for how hard Stephanie stamps that thought out. "Right. I'm going to keep helping people. This is... this is who I am now," she says, finding her emotions running high enough she has to blink a few times to try to keep them from being displayed too openly. Though, any of the Bats would be able to read them clear enough.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Yeah Barbara can read the struggle going on there pretty well as she picks up and turns the metal bar and chain rig. That is actually a pretty difficult weapon to not hurt yourself using really. She runs her fingers over the bar.

"Good." is all she says letting that sink in, yeah she baited Stephanie into it. Got her really emotionally invested. Sort of dunking the steel into the water step metaphorically. Though maybe that isn't the right metaphor.

What. Barbara has always left this up to Bruce in the past.

"We are going to need to get you new bat-a-rangs and make sure you actually have training besides Tai Chi.. I mean that is basically fancy yoga." yeah she is pretty dismissive of the whole concept of that particular martial arts. She is watching how Stephanie reacts to the verbal leg sweep.

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie raises a hand with an index finger pointing upwards for extra emphasis as she starts to counter Barbara's arguments in a very firm tone. "I've fought plenty of men much larger and- wait what did you say? New... new bat-a-rangs? ...Training..." Stephanie says, the words that were actually said to her starting to sink in finally.

The blond stands there for a few seconds. "You know, you really know how to mess up a really good head of steam there. I had all my reasons... just, bam bam bam bam," Stephanie says, using her finger to point to where each of them was going to go. She lets out a sigh of relief, and something between a laugh and a sob.

"Are you serious? You really need to be serious," Stephanie says, those emotions near to bubbling over. "I thought you were... that this was..." she says, stumbling over her words as only Stephanie can.

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Okay the response actually makes Barbara chuckle a little, she sets the bar chain down with one hand and carefully touches the bridge of her nose with the other as she takes a breath to get it all schooled back to not laughing at poor Stephanie. A chuckle is okay but laughing would just be mean. Still that was a perfect reaction.

"Yeah well I learned this whole routine from Batman actually. He did it to me... he did it to Carrie.." she frowns though as Stephanie stumbles over her words and she steps a bit closer making eye contact. "Yes I mean it. I don't know why Bruce hasn't done it himself.... usually this is a test to make sure someone isn't going to give up and flake out. Because once you really go down this road you have to be committed to it.. because it often comes with great costs Stephanie." her eyes flick to the display case with just a bullet on a small stand in it then back to Stephanie.

"So yes. If you mean it then I mean it."

There is a pause.

"Do you need a hug?"

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie breaks out in laughter, though there's a just slightly raggedness to it that says how much her emotions were wound up there. "I /always/ need a hug," Stephanie says, though smiling as she moves to Barbara to hug her, fairly tightly, though not trying to crush her, if Barbara allows it.

She doesn't keep the hug forever, either way, letting Barbara go soon. "I am committed to it," Stephanie confirms. "So Bruce... he's ok with this too then?" she asks. "I've kept waiting for him to just suddenly... you know how he is. One moment he's not there, the next he is. Sometime when I'd be out on a patrol. And you know. The frowning," she says, giving a bit of a goofy look.

Stephanie draws a bit of a deep breath. "I know. I know it's serious. But... it's who I am now. Losing it would be like losing an arm or something," she says. "Worse than."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara wouldn't have offered if she didn't intend to follow through with the whole giving Stephanie a hug thing. This is one of the many ways she actually differs from Bruce. She is a hugger when it is appropriate.

She lets Stephanie set the tempo for how much of a hug she needs too though.

Once free of the hug she steps back and then laughs. "While Bruce gets to tell me what to do when it comes to many things... he doesn't get to tell me what to do on all fronts. Unlike Nightwing though I am good enough at this whole game that I am not going to stomp my feet and run off to Bludhaven and abandon everyone because I can't win an arguement." yeah zing Nightwing. Zing. Babs is still a bit sore about all that.

"No Bruce doesn't know, at least I don't think he knows actually. You never know when something is part of his plan and for all I know he will say the test was for me to see how long it would take me to step up and actually offer to take you in and train you." she has the faintest eye roll because she can picture it "Oh yes and the frowning."

At which she shrugs it a bit. "I know. Despite... what happened to me.. I had to get back out there and do it. It gets in your blood. It is a calling in a purpose. So no.. I don't know if Bruce knows but I'm willing to train you, equip you, and if he gets really mad I'll just say you are part of the newly restarted Birds of Prey project."

Stephanie Brown has posed:
Stephanie nods slowly as Barbara shows her the new lay of the land. "Yeah, that would be just like him. Two birds with one stone and all," Stephanie says of his potentially testing the both of them like that. "Well, if he isn't ok with it, I still meant what I said too, so... short of him tying me up and mailing me to Madripoor..." she leaves the rest unsaid.

"Thank, Barbara. This really means a lot to me," the blond says. Perhaps understating what being trained by her idol means to Stephanie. "I'll do my best not to let you down," she says, giving the older woman a warm smile.

She looks down at her equipment she'd shown Barbara, picking up some of it, running a finger over the point of an anti-vehicle caltrop. "Those batarangs really are wicked hard to reproduce and get them to fly straight," she says. "I even gave up on them and was trying new designs just trying to get them to be accurate, even without all the curving and payloads."

Barbara Gordon has posed:
Barbara leans against the table. "Pretty much, though I'm a bad and your a Spoiler... honestly the crazy stuff going on with the robins today is more than enough bird shenninigans." she just shakes her head and doesn't go into it right now at all through.

"Also god I hope not Madripoor.. that place is evil and run by ninjas .. evil ninjas..."

She walks over to what looks like a wall "Oracle, open armory." and the wall sinks in and then slides silently out of the way opening up to a room that is like a Batlings dream store. Shop Smart. Shop Bat-Mart.

"He actually designed the first Bat-A-Rangs himself .... but a lot of the gear isn't entirely him. Still it would be incredibly hard to make in shop class. You did really well with what you had Stephanie." she pulls down a pack of bat-a-rangs, a real utility belt, and starts to load it quietly.

Once done she walks back out and holds it out offering it. "I expect you to watch for messages and show up on schedule once I send it for training. Also I'll be sending you a workout routine and a diet plan... trust me you will thank me later but not at first."